Overwhelmed But Not Alone
by Songbird's Spirit
Summary: There's only so much a 12 year old can handle, even when it comes to Integra. With everything from homework to the death of her father and the weight of his legacy bearing down on her, can she truly handle this alone? One-Shot


There was only so much Integra could take. For a 12 year old she was doing rather well adjusting to her new lifestyle.

But again, she was twelve years old...

The petite blonde-haired girl was at her wits end. Sitting alone, aside from her visitor, in her office. She had spent her Saturday listening to men much older than her rambling on and on about her new responsibilities and hundreds of things for her to remember.

Folding her hands together and trying her damnedest to appear pleasant, Integra thanked her last visitor for the day and just barely held the smile on her face for the duration of time it took him to step out of the room and close the door behind him.

Alucard chose that moment to appear in the room with every intention of amusing himself by pestering his already frustrated master.

But Integra hadn't even noticed him. Alucard watched in silence as the little blonde spun almost violently in her chair and made a desperate dash towards the windows behind her. A broken, sad little whimper escaped her lips, her head thumping against the glass in disappointment.

She had been praying and wishing that she would have some daylight left to herself by the end of her new working hours, but no such luck.

The last rays of sunshine were quickly being taken away by the sun as the bright star sunk deep beneath the horizon to make way for the black starry night.

Between lessons and homework at the prestigious private school she attended, her new responsibilities, learning the inner workings of the law, learning the intricate details of the Hellsing Organization that her father hadn't thought she was ready for quite yet when he had been alive, and dealing with men that spoke to her in a way that mimicked the way you would speak to a slow, dimwitted child, Integra was dealing with more stress that most adults nearly three times her age.

She just wanted a little time to herself between all this new responsibility. But it seemed that it was too much to ask for.

Alucard remained silent while his master took one last longing look towards their enormous back garden and turned.

The pre-teen stiffened at the sight of the vampire, trying to hold back all the sadness she had been about to show.

With a quick gesture, Integra excused herself and rushed out of the room, trying to conceal the tears of overwhelming self-doubt and suffocation that slid down her cheeks.

* * *

Integra whimpered, her sobs coming to a slow at last as she calmed herself. Curling up on her bedspread, the girl wished for nothing more to have her father back. To be held in his arms. To be comforted. To be more prepared than she was with his guidance.

"It's always going to be like this." Integra whimpered to herself, "I shouldn't cry. No use in getting sad over something...s-so..."

Her words faded off into overwhelmed little whimpers once more as her body trembled with uncertainties.

"Forgive me, my Master." A deep voice rumbled suddenly.

Integra screeched in surprise and deep embarrassment as someone, and she had a good idea of who, decided to pick her up, sit on HER bed, and hold her like the devastated child she denied that she was.

Unsurprisingly, Integra found Alucard to be the owner of that voice. However, he had never held her before, nor had he hummed to her either.

"Wuh-w-what d-do you think y-you're doing?!" She demanded weakly, her voice hoarse from sobbing.

"Comforting you," he sighed, "Come here." He commanded in an uncharacteristically gentle tone.

"B-but..." She protested but to no avail.

Alucard simply sighed and with an effortless push, put Intergra's head on his shoulder and hummed for a short moment, rocking the girl ever so slightly.

"You've lost your father, you've been targeted by your own blood, you've killed a man, you've inherited a long-standing organization, you attend school, you deal with politics, and you...are a child with problems that overwhelm even fully experienced adults." Alucard murmured gently, "It is okay to cry."

In a flood of emotion, the memory of her father and the last time he had hugged her, comforted her, seemed light years away.

Suddenly desperate for anything remotely close to such a comfort, Integra cried...she burred her head in the vampires neck, his soft hair cushioning and tickling her face, and wept.

Alucard hummed a very old tune in his deep voice, the sound reverberating around him as her gently rocked his master. The pre-teen gripped the red cloak on his shoulders as if it were a life line. She needed someone, anyone, to just keep her company...to take away her everyday mental demons.

Alucard stayed with Integra, the girl eventually crying herself to sleep and curling up in his lap. The vampire sighed, grabbing a blanket and draping it over her sleeping body. He watched her sleep, admiring her for the person she was and the determination she possessed.

But even his Master was not impervious to stress and emotion...not yet. He couldn't help but think back to the days when he had his own child to hold and comfort, somewhat warm inside at the bitter-sweet memory.

"Sleep well Integra. As I have promised no harm shall come to you."


End file.
